Helpful Score: 3
Really good start to this series. I liked Amaranthe. She's intelligent, kick-ass, and even has some humor. I enjoyed how she went about recruiting the people she needed to enact her plan. I enjoyed the interplay between all the characters. I am interested to see how the next book plays out.
Helpful Score: 2
To give credit where credits due, I kept on returning to this book after every time I decided to put it down because I found problems with the writing. So as far as self-published books go, this is a real nice free find. It has some of the problems that Ive experienced in other self-published booksnotably in pacing, world-building, and plotbut at its heart is a very delightfully strong protagonist and some chuckle-inducing dialogue.
Amaranthe Lokdon is one of the few female enforcers working for her emperor, but when she gets in the middle of a sinister plot that threatens the emperors life, shes forced to drop everything from her old life in order to save herselfand possibly save the emperor. Amaranthe amasses a ragtag team, including Sicarius, a lethal assassin, to execute her crazy plan. But what if she cant trust even her own team to have her back?
Amaranthe is the type of woman that many protagonists think they are but arent really. With her enforcer training, shes more than physically and intellectually competent. Shes also capable of getting herself out of sticky predicaments with creative thinking. Instead of saying all the time that shes resourceful and smart and badass, she actually IS. Whenever I thought I was done with this because of some writing weaknesses, Amaranthe comes out with something that impresses me.
About those writing weaknesses Well, its just the stuff that Ive generally found to appear in self-published books. As in, the world makes sense in the authors mind, but somewhere down the line, the authors intended world doesnt align with the words that actually end up on the page. THE EMPERORS EDGE claims to be a fantasy with steampunk elements, but besides for a few mentions of engines and mages and whatnot, it was difficult to distinguish what made this world so different than a medieval/contemporary mashup of our own. (At one point one of the characters calls out, Yo! I facepalmed like it was the end of the world.)
I also havent warmed up to the Amaranthe-Sicarius romance yet, primarily because Sicarius himself doesnt demonstrate even a HINT of romantic gestures throughout the whole novel. Amaranthe, girl, you are really deluded if youve spotted anything even remotely resembling him caring for you in this episode of your life. However, I believe that the potential for romance is there, and it can pay off in the end, if thats something that motivates your reading.
Nevertheless, THE EMPERORS EDGE exceeded my expectations for a free self-published novel. Its got its flaws, but theyre not deal-breakers, not with great characters and an admirable female protagonist leading the charge. I may even consider reading on in the series sometime in the future. Snap up this free e-book and be prepared to be impressed with how much heart its got.
Amaranthe Lokdon is one of the few female enforcers working for her emperor, but when she gets in the middle of a sinister plot that threatens the emperors life, shes forced to drop everything from her old life in order to save herselfand possibly save the emperor. Amaranthe amasses a ragtag team, including Sicarius, a lethal assassin, to execute her crazy plan. But what if she cant trust even her own team to have her back?
Amaranthe is the type of woman that many protagonists think they are but arent really. With her enforcer training, shes more than physically and intellectually competent. Shes also capable of getting herself out of sticky predicaments with creative thinking. Instead of saying all the time that shes resourceful and smart and badass, she actually IS. Whenever I thought I was done with this because of some writing weaknesses, Amaranthe comes out with something that impresses me.
About those writing weaknesses Well, its just the stuff that Ive generally found to appear in self-published books. As in, the world makes sense in the authors mind, but somewhere down the line, the authors intended world doesnt align with the words that actually end up on the page. THE EMPERORS EDGE claims to be a fantasy with steampunk elements, but besides for a few mentions of engines and mages and whatnot, it was difficult to distinguish what made this world so different than a medieval/contemporary mashup of our own. (At one point one of the characters calls out, Yo! I facepalmed like it was the end of the world.)
I also havent warmed up to the Amaranthe-Sicarius romance yet, primarily because Sicarius himself doesnt demonstrate even a HINT of romantic gestures throughout the whole novel. Amaranthe, girl, you are really deluded if youve spotted anything even remotely resembling him caring for you in this episode of your life. However, I believe that the potential for romance is there, and it can pay off in the end, if thats something that motivates your reading.
Nevertheless, THE EMPERORS EDGE exceeded my expectations for a free self-published novel. Its got its flaws, but theyre not deal-breakers, not with great characters and an admirable female protagonist leading the charge. I may even consider reading on in the series sometime in the future. Snap up this free e-book and be prepared to be impressed with how much heart its got.
Helpful Score: 1
Action packed sci-fi adventure. We are in a world ruled by a warrior caste. The story revolves around Amaranthe, an "enforcer" (like a police officer) who is very upstanding and takes her job seriously. A traitor who is trying to get rid of her sends her on an impossible, probably suicidal mission, and she ends up as a fugitive. She gathers a group of misfits and leads them in trying to stop a plot to assassinate the emperor, who is young and naive. Really fast-moving, clever plotting, a bit of humor and a good cast of entertaining characters. There are some hints of attraction between Amaranthe and Sicarius, a former assassin who is one of the gang of misfits, but no actual romance. I really got caught up in the story, couldn't put it down.
I'm hooked on the entire series. Fun banter, exciting adventure, magic - sorry, mental science - and ordinary type people doing what needs to be done to save the empire ... and themselves. Set in an age of steam engines and black powder single-shot rifles Amaranthe and her team rely on their wit and her crazy schemes. No convenient techno electronic doodads to save the day. Ignore the occasional faux pas or writing glitch. Immerse yourself in the era and the story and enjoy.
